The former owner of a popular bar has transformed an elderly venue into a traditional pub with a £200,000 makeover.

Adam Brooks, 34, former owner of Nu Bar, Loughton purchased The Three Colts pub in Princes Road, Buckhurst Hill as his first pub in 2013 hoping  to welcome a traditional public house to the town.

The corner build, that had been untouched for over 20 years, was said to have smelt, been left run down, quiet and without local interest, when the father-of-two decided to transform it in November.

The pub underwent a £200,000 makeover in January that saw the upheaval of wilting furnishings and the introduction of traditional public house fittings including solid oak tables, a fireplace and a beer garden.

Mr Brooks said: “I was looking for something to sink my teeth into when I came across the pub.

“My aim was to go against what everyone thought I was going to do; I grew up in pubs so I knew I wanted to make it traditional, friendly and welcoming.

The refit saw the creation of a dining area, a kitchen and a garden with a children’s play area, as well as the redesign of interior and exterior appearances.

Mr Brooks spent months visiting traditional bars in the UK to get ideas and inspiration.

He said: “I knew that there was a gap in the market for this kind of pub, my mum would visit somewhere and leave by 7 o’clock because the crowd was too young.

“The aim was to create somewhere that people of every age felt comfortable, somewhere that caters for all, and I think we have achieved that.”